A Christmas Carol

First Edition (1849) illustrations by John Leech

Regardless of which version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol your theatre is staging, Paul can help! His unique and comprehensive dialect study includes a reading of Dickens’ entire novella (divided into five sound files, one for each stave), plus in-depth dialect analysis of all 36 speaking characters. (The complete, uncut reading, is audio-book style, with full characterization from Paul, while his character dialect recordings are a little slower and flatter, focusing on dialect, and allowing the actors the freedom to make the roles their own.)

For $349, your entire cast have access to more than 40 streaming-audio files for the duration of your rehearsals and performances. (The recordings include the aforementioned complete reading of the original 1843 text, plus one dialect-coaching recording for each of the 36 characters, large and small. Each of those recordings includes all the lines spoken by that character plus Paul’s analysis of the dialect, intonation, rhythm, stress, etc.) You will also get the accompanying text, as PDF files. (Click here for a free download of one of the character (Belle) PDFs.)

To get things started or to simply find out more, e-mail Paul. He’ll also be glad to discuss options that might better fit your budget, in addition to one-on-one Skype coaching that can focus not just on the original Dickens text but the specific lines in YOUR version of the play.

Listen to an excerpt from Paul’s full audio-book style reading of the novella:

We realize there are hundreds of versions of Dickens’ holiday classic. Some of the best-known adaptations include those by David Edgar, John Mortimer, Romulus Linney, Ed Monk, and Gary Peterson. Or perhaps your local theatre is performing an original version. But because Paul’s dialect studies are exhaustive and offer insight into not just specific lines but the characters themselves, your production will surely benefit from Paul’s insight. And thanks to his full reading of the novella — narration AND character speeches — your needs will be served regardless of how the narration is distributed among the actors.

Giving you online access to the sound files and PDFs takes just minutes. We will create a private, password-protected webpage for you and your cast, containing your recordings in streaming-audio format, playable on any internet-connected device. Click here to see what your page will look like. (If you don’t have access to a computer or the internet, Paul can lease the recordings to you on CDs, with a refundable deposit.)

Even better, Paul includes a registration key to his Cockney and Standard British (Received Pronunciation) ebooks for each actor, for free! That amounts to roughly a $600 value in itself. And although your access to the materials will expire when your production is complete, Paul will restore your access at a 50% discount (just $175) each year you revive your production.

A Christmas Carol is just one of the nearly 200 plays and musicals for which Paul has created a unique dialect/accent study. Click here to learn more.

"We've been using your book here for years. I am buying copies for members of our AEA resident acting company to have for their own collections. Will likely buy more in the future. Love your work and thanks for putting together such an incredible resource. It's been immensely helpful to our actors and our students."

"We've been using your book here for years. I am buying copies for members of our AEA resident acting company to have for their own collections. Will likely buy more in the future. Love your work and thanks for putting together such an incredible resource. It's been immensely helpful to our actors and our students."

https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/heres-a-quote/

"Paul Meier’s app — titled 'The Interactive IPA' [search your iTunes app store] — is an easy way to take a reliable IPA resource with you everywhere. The app features all current official phonetic charts, as well as diphthong charts for standard American and British RP, which were developed by Mr. Meier. The user-friendly interactive aspect makes the app a kinesthetic and audiovisual learning aid. The user simply touches the symbol they wish to examine more closely. A detailed description of the symbol pops up and an option to play a sound file, so you can hear, touch, and see the symbol at the same time. The app makes a wonderful addition to classroom use for students in an introduction to speech or a stage-dialects course where the IPA is used."

"Paul Meier’s app — titled 'The Interactive IPA' [search your iTunes app store] — is an easy way to take a reliable IPA resource with you everywhere. The app features all current official phonetic charts, as well as diphthong charts for standard American and British RP, which were developed by Mr. Meier. The user-friendly interactive aspect makes the app a kinesthetic and audiovisual learning aid. The user simply touches the symbol they wish to examine more closely. A detailed description of the symbol pops up and an option to play a sound file, so you can hear, touch, and see the symbol at the same time. The app makes a wonderful addition to classroom use for students in an introduction to speech or a stage-dialects course where the IPA is used."

https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/reviews-of-pmds-2/

"I’ve just visited your Website [IDEA] for the first time, at the prompting of a casting director, Carol Dudley. (She was told about it by Tom Wilkinson.) This is a brief note to thank you for setting up such a scholarly, thorough, and incredibly useful service. I had to find Hungarian for a BBC Patrick Leigh Fermor Book at Bedtime. It was 11 p.m., I was due in the studio in ten hours, [and] I had had some Hungarian somewhere once but had lent it out years ago and it never returned. Anyway, you came to the rescue."

"I’ve just visited your Website [IDEA] for the first time, at the prompting of a casting director, Carol Dudley. (She was told about it by Tom Wilkinson.) This is a brief note to thank you for setting up such a scholarly, thorough, and incredibly useful service. I had to find Hungarian for a BBC Patrick Leigh Fermor Book at Bedtime. It was 11 p.m., I was due in the studio in ten hours, [and] I had had some Hungarian somewhere once but had lent it out years ago and it never returned. Anyway, you came to the rescue."

https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/reviews-of-idea/

"Paul worked for us on 'Ride With The Devil' as dialect and dialogue coach, developing dialect tapes for all seventy speaking roles, coaching all the actors, and was invaluable in developing a cohesive vocal and dialect design for the U.S. region that was the setting for the film. Many critics praised the film for capturing the romanticism of the era through language, and Paul's contribution through speech, voice, and dialect was crucial."

Ang Lee, Director

2017-10-21T15:33:51+00:00

Ang Lee, Director

"Paul worked for us on 'Ride With The Devil' as dialect and dialogue coach, developing dialect tapes for all seventy speaking roles, coaching all the actors, and was invaluable in developing a cohesive vocal and dialect design for the U.S. region that was the setting for the film. Many critics praised the film for capturing the romanticism of the era through language, and Paul's contribution through speech, voice, and dialect was crucial."

https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/11304/

"Your 'Accents & Dialects for Stage & Screen' is a fabulous resource for anyone involved in dialect training for actors — I know of no other contemporary work to compare with its scope and depth. It’s meticulous, exhaustive, and very well organized into a clear and rational step-by-step approach. Those of us with a background in International Phonetics can be grateful that you’ve done so much of the legwork for us. This is a book that won’t gather dust on my bookshelf — I shall be consulting it often."

"Your 'Accents & Dialects for Stage & Screen' is a fabulous resource for anyone involved in dialect training for actors — I know of no other contemporary work to compare with its scope and depth. It’s meticulous, exhaustive, and very well organized into a clear and rational step-by-step approach. Those of us with a background in International Phonetics can be grateful that you’ve done so much of the legwork for us. This is a book that won’t gather dust on my bookshelf — I shall be consulting it often."

https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/11305/

"Being a working actor can be a lonely business: the preparation, the hours of digging to find your character — his soul, his voice. But your comprehensive book linked to the resources on your Website and IDEA now make the job seem less isolated. Your meticulous and comprehensive study has given us an invaluable tool with which to tackle our craft. When I was presented with seven characters in 'Catch 22,' I was initially daunted. I am a Brit, and here were seven Americans to be presented in their own country. I was lost and overwhelmed, … and then I found your book, and through your calm and clear guidance, I found their voices. Thank you, Paul."

Richard Sheridan Willis, Actor, Toronto, Canada

2017-10-21T15:38:21+00:00

Richard Sheridan Willis, Actor, Toronto, Canada

"Being a working actor can be a lonely business: the preparation, the hours of digging to find your character — his soul, his voice. But your comprehensive book linked to the resources on your Website and IDEA now make the job seem less isolated. Your meticulous and comprehensive study has given us an invaluable tool with which to tackle our craft. When I was presented with seven characters in 'Catch 22,' I was initially daunted. I am a Brit, and here were seven Americans to be presented in their own country. I was lost and overwhelmed, … and then I found your book, and through your calm and clear guidance, I found their voices. Thank you, Paul."